Staten Island Advance/Bill LyonsProsecutors said Bryan Pittsley was drunk when he ran a stop sign on Hillside Terrace and plowed into a sedan on Hylan Boulevard at about 9:45 p.m. on Aug. 29. His SUV then slammed into a parked car.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The driver who has admitted guilt in a fatal crash last year in Great Kills allegedly tried to burn down his jail cell, it was revealed today in court.

Bryan Pittsley's sentencing in the deadly Aug. 29 incident that claimed the life of one of his passengers was adjourned, pending the disposition of arson charges arising from an unrelated episode earlier this year at Rikers Island.

"I put a staple in the light switch and lit a piece of toilet paper to start the fire," court documents quote the defendant as telling authorities.

Pittsley's mattress was burned, along with the bed frame, sheets, clothing and some of the cell floor, said court records.

Pittsley was charged with three counts of arson, as well as criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. He has denied the allegations.

The charges were brought by the Bronx district attorney's office, which has jurisdiction on Rikers Island, said authorities.

Pittsley is also charged in the Bronx with attempted assault and obstruction for allegedly taking a swing at a city Correction officer at Rikers on Nov. 4 of last year. That case is also pending.

Pittsley had originally been jailed in connection with the fatal DWI incident.

Two months ago, the Brooklyn resident pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court, St. George, to aggravated vehicular homicide, the top count against him.

Prosecutors said Pittsley was drunk when he ran a stop sign on Hillside Terrace and plowed into a sedan on Hylan Boulevard at about 9:45 p.m. His SUV then slammed into a parked car.

One of Pittsley's passengers, Angel Rivera, 18, of Bay Terrace, was killed and six other teens in his vehicle were hurt, several seriously. The 20-year-old driver of the sedan that Pittsley struck also was hurt.

Despite his own injuries, Pittsley bolted from his Chevrolet Suburban. He was captured the next day in Brooklyn after a foot chase through backyards, said authorities.

Under his agreement, Pittsley faces a minimum of five years to a maximum of 10 years in prison, said a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan.

A short, scraggly-bearded man with unkempt hair, Pittsley said nothing during today's proceeding. He was dressed in a bright-green Correction Department-issued jumpsuit.